The major objective of the proposed research is to compare the pathways leading to the formation of phosphatidic acid in brain and other organs. The role of acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate and alkyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate in (a) phosphoglyceride metabolism and (b) the formation of alkyl ethers and plasmalogens in brain will be studied. Individual enzymes will be studied in vitro using cell free systems and the metabolic importance of different pathways will be investigated under physiological conditions. The effect of different analogs of dihydroxyacetone phosphate which would act as inhibitors to some of the key enzymatic reactions will also be studied.